


Happiness is...A kept Promise

by Swiftwars21



Series: RTA Episode Rewrites by a person with too many ideas [2]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Broken Promises, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happiness Is... rewrite, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Illusions, LIKE A LOT OF ANGST, Past Relationship(s), Sad Rapunzel, Villain Varian (Disney)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28461663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swiftwars21/pseuds/Swiftwars21
Summary: Ever since leaving the kingdom, Rapunzel had been distracted by all of her fun adventures. But then she finds something on Tarapi Island that makes her realize how much she misses a certain young alchemist, and how much she regrets abandoning him....twice.Luckily, the totem she finds can change that.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Series: RTA Episode Rewrites by a person with too many ideas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084841
Comments: 7
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this idea came to me a few days ago when my sister was re watching the show, and I just happened to walk in on the part where the totem makes Raps see evil Varian. And that's when this happened. 
> 
> I have a lot of rewrite ideas (like the other one I'm working on now), so I might just make a series out of it or something.
> 
> Plus, this can be my New Years present, so.....yeah. 
> 
> Enjoy, the next chapter should be up soon!

It had been almost six weeks since the group had crashed on Tarapi Island. Since then, Rapunzel and the gang defeated a giant firefly, built a tree house, met a mermaid, fought fish-police things, and started reconstructing the caravan. Luckily, it was almost done; so by the time the ferry comes in four days, everyone will be ready to go. The Lorbs (natives to the island) were a bit disappointing that their new friends were leaving, so they decided to throw a party every night until then. Tonight would be the first night, and almost everyone was at the party at the moment, save for Rapunzel and Pascal.

The two were a little late, packing some food for the continuation of their journey. It hadn't taken very long, so when they were done, they started heading for the festival. On their way, they stopped to look at the thousands of lanterns hung on large sticks, used to light up the village. Rapunzel couldn't help but ponder deeply of the fact that once every year, for eighteen long years, she saw these very objects flying through the sky through the same window. And now, she was getting a chance to see them up close. 

She gasped, spotting one with a pretty rose stitched on it. She ran over to admire it, Pascal hopping onto her shoulder to do the same. It was a gorgeous design, that looked like it must've taken days to create. The princess ran a finger over the outline, giggling at Pascal's chirp of approval. 

She turned back around, and started heading back down the path, gasping at another lantern. "Oh, look at this one! They embroidered my name on it." 

Pascal didn't get a chance to reply, as she quickly spotted another one. "Ooh! And this one, it must be a portrait of whoever made it."

Her chameleon friend chirped, smiling at her joy-filled eyes. He turned to look around the rest of the grove of lanterns as Rapunzel found another one, trying to see if he could find another she'd love. As the princess unknowingly talked about one of them, he hopped off her shoulder to look around, leaving her talking to herself. 

"I still can't get over how many there are..." she breathed, still unaware that her friend had run off. She turned and spotted a lantern with a very familiar design on it and gasped. "Pascal, this lantern is decorated with my father's crest. Pascal?" 

She turned to her shoulder, only to find it unoccupied. Confused, she started searching around the forest of lights. "Pascal? Where did you go?"

A few moments later, she heard a small chirp coming from up ahead on the path. She jogged over, finding Pascal looking through one of the bunches of lanterns. She smiled, and leaned down to pick him up. "Aw, are you trying to find another one I'd like?" 

He nodded, making her smile. 

"That's so sweet! But honestly, Pascal, I love them all!" she emphasized by throwing out her hand, gesturing to all of the lanterns surrounding the path. "They're all unique and special, and they're what helped me get here in the first place. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."

Pascal chirped, rubbing his head into her palm. She smiled wider, placing him back on her shoulder. "Come on, we don't want to miss the dancing!" 

She started walking back towards where the party was being held, feeling happier than ever. But she stopped when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see one of the other bunches of lanterns, frowning when instead of seeing all of them glowing their usual yellow, one of them glowed green and purple. Pascal frowned to, and made eye contact with his friend. They both shared a suspicious look, before Rapunzel walked over to see what it was. 

When she found it, she found it was a lantern just like the other ones. But that wasn't what made her gasp.

The outer edges of the lantern were decorated with small viles of glowing green and purple liquid, tied securely to the paper object with twine. They looked horrifyingly familiar. A small pinch of hope that it wasn't what she thought it was, Rapunzel looked around the rest of the lantern. And sure enough, on one of the sides of the glowing lantern, there was a small portrait of the designer's face. 

_Varian's_ face. 

Rapunzel immediately felt tears prickle at the corners of her eyes, bringing her hands around her mouth. Pascal shivered slightly, eyes trained on a second portrait of Varian's raccoon, Ruddiger. When he heard a small sniffle, he turned to see tears coming down Rapunzel's face, and unhesitatingly tried to wipe them off. 

"Oh, Pascal..." Rapunzel whispered. "I...I can't believe I forgot! It's been five months, and I completely forgot." 

The chameleon frowned, trying to comfort her with a few nudges to her cheek. But it wouldn't do much to ease the amount of guilt settling into Rapunzel's gut. How could she have forgotten about Varian? And plus, why did she feel so upset about it? Okay, maybe it was the fact that he brought up some...bad memories. It could also be that she was angry at him for hurting her mother, and so all of that anger had twisted itself into a different emotion. But that wouldn't make much sense. 

_"Rapunzel, my dad needs help!"_

_"Rapunzel! You promised!"_

_"I begged you and this kingdom for help! Everyone turned their backs on me!"_

And then it clicked.

It wasn't too hard to figure out that most of the guilt had come from hurting her old friend, who'd just been hurt and scared. And it was also easy to figure out it came from the guilt of throwing him out into the deadly snowstorm, and practically forgetting about him for weeks. For _months._

Was that what she was doing? She'd come out here to travel the world, have fun, and find her destiny with her closest friends by her side. The same friends who'd been at her side for the months she'd abandoned Varian. The same friends who'd helped her fight him, throw him in prison, and abandon him _again._ She'd left him at the mercy of her father, who she knew could be very overprotective of his family---the guards assigned at Varian's village were proof of that. How could she have done that? 

Her mind flashed with the image of Quirin in the amber, and Varian kneeling below it, banging his fists on it while she was hugging her family. While she had one, and he didn't. 

Why was she just feeling all of this right now? 

Pascal squeaked from her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. "How could I have been so horrible to him, Pascal?" 

The chameleon stood straight, frowning at her inquiry. Rapunzel ran a hand over the young teen's picture, another few tears splashing onto the ground below her. "I abandoned him again, and all because of one promise." 

_"And when I promise something, I never break that promise. Ever."_

She sighed, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and walking back down the path, forcing her eyes away from the lantern. The princess tried to picture younger Varian making that---the much more innocent, happy, and unhurt Varian. But her mind kept betraying her with the awful memories of him being dragged away, and of the boy who most certainly _wasn't_ Varian in that red-tinted window, crushing the life out of her best friend and mother. She couldn't picture anything else, and she hated herself for it. 

"I miss him, Pascal..."

(-----------------------)

Rapunzel made it to the small clearing, where a large fire sat in the middle of a surrounding circle of Lorbs and her friends. She caught sight of Eugene and Cassandra, and took a seat in between them with a heavy sigh. 

_"Everything's gonna be okay. I promise."_

"May I have this dance, milady?" 

Rapunzel looked up at Eugene, who held out a hand. She thought a moment. Maybe it would be good for a small distraction, right? Maybe it would help take her mind off of Varian. ~~_Again._~~

"You bet." she said, taking the offered hand. Her boyfriend pulled her away to the middle of the circle, Pascal hopping off to allow them their moment. 

The couple held onto each other, dancing along to the catchy music. When Eugene dipped Rapunzel, however, she caught sight of a small family of Lorbs hugging each other. The scene of her family holding each other came up again, and Varian sobbing against his amber-encased father. 

" _It's not my fault! It's **her** fault!"_

Rapunzel swallowed hard, pulling away from Eugene. "I, um...just need a moment." she sighed, walking away. Eugene frowned, eyes following her towards the lantern-surrounded path. 

Rapunzel stopped a few yards away, hugging herself tight as she felt more tears filling up her eyes. The image of Varian crying out at losing the battle and banging his fists against his control panel popped up in her head, making her body start to shake. She suddenly heard footsteps coming up behind her, and quickly calmed herself as the footsteps stopped behind her. 

"Blondie, you okay?" Eugene asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She shivered slightly, ignoring the memory of the royal vault, and grabbing Varian's bag with a harder grip. "Um...well, I..."

Should she tell Eugene? Should she show him the lantern she found? What would he think? Varian had done so many things to hurt her and her family, and that's really all Eugene had seen from him. He wasn't actually there when he begged for help and got dragged into the snowstorm, so he wouldn't really understand her feelings. Would he think she was insane for missing someone who'd done so much? There was only one way to find out. 

"Is it possible to miss someone who tried to hurt you?" she asked, turning around to face him. He was caught off guard by this. "What do you mean?" Rapunzel sighed. "While on our way over here, me and Pascal found a lantern, and it brought up some.... _confusing_ feelings and awful memories of....of Varian." 

Eugene instinctively scowled at the mention of the young alchemist, before frowning as he processed this information. 

"You miss him?"

She nodded. 

"I...I know I shouldn't; I mean, he tried to hurt me and my friends and family. He almost killed my mom and Cass, even _you._ But...I just keep remembering moments where I hurt and abandoned him. Do you think we abandoned him again by leaving?" 

She looked into Eugene's eyes, which were full of uncertainty and concern. "Well...personally, I don't really miss him. I guess I never really thought about it, honestly." 

Rapunzel couldn't help the larger wave of guilt hitting her at those words, but she didn't say anything as he continued. 

"I don't really know how to answer your question, though. Again, I guess I never really thought about it." 

Rapunzel sighed. 

Eugene noticed her distress, and cupped her cheek with his hand. "But, hey, I bet you'll feel better about it in the morning. Just get some sleep, okay?" he smiled. Rapunzel couldn't help but smile back, though more sadly. Maybe he was right; maybe this would all pass over, and she'd forget about it the next day.

_'Of course you're gonna try and forget about him again. No wonder he tried to kill you.'_

Rapunzel shook off the thought her mind tried to tell her, and met Eugene with a kiss. "You're probably right. Goodnight, Eugene." 

Eugene smiled into the kiss, pulling her into a hug once they pulled away from it. "Goodnight, Sunshine." 

And with that, Rapunzel walked away, back towards the tree house, and away from the party. Pascal quickly caught up with her, hopping on her shoulder as they passed the lanterns. She tried to ignore the green and purple one, fighting back more bad memories and thoughts. It would all go away in the morning, she knew it would. 

If only she knew it wouldn't. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this came out so late! It's a lot shorter than planned because I just really had to get this out, which is also why I changed the amount of chapters that'll be in this.
> 
> Enjoy!

It didn't go away. 

Oh, no, it did the exact opposite. It _plagued_ Rapunzel all night, making it almost completely impossible to sleep. And if she wasn't awake thinking about Varian, she was having dreams about him. Dreams about past events, dreams about things that could've happened, and just....nightmares. It was far from similar to the ones she'd had months ago; about Varian talking about her destiny or running at her with black rocks trailing behind him. Those dreams had had actual meanings and importance to them. These ones served to elevate her guilt. 

So, because of this, she'd gotten up much earlier that morning. 

At first, she decided to try and distract her mind by painting in her journal. She'd set up a space at her makeshift desk, with a gorgeous view of the ocean outside, and gathered her paints. It had gone pretty well the first half hour; but that changed when she found herself suddenly writing and painting about Varian and her nightmares. 

After setting those things aside, she decided to make breakfast early so when the others got up, it'd be nice and ready to eat. 

Unfortunately, while trying to concoct different things, she found herself thinking back on Varian's alchemy. And, of course, that lead her back to the same guilty thoughts and shameful memories. It also lead to almost burning the tree house down, and waking everyone up at dawn. 

Deciding that distracting herself wouldn't do any good, she ended up just sitting back at her desk, staring out at the near-noon sun hovering over the shining ocean. As beautiful of a view as it was, Rapunzel found it too hard to focus on it. While her eyes were trained on the view, her mind was trained somewhere much more distant. And it lasted a good few hours. 

And after those hours, Pascal grew extremely tired of it. So he decided to do something about it. 

Lucky for him, he actually managed to get Rapunzel back outside. Rapunzel knew what he was doing, and for that she'd be forever thankful, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she'd go back to moping and thinking of the young alchemist back at home. But some fresh air would probably do some good for her, anyway. 

After about an hour of exploring, the duo ended up on the other side of the island. For some reason, the crystal blue water seemed much more brighter on this side, and to her excitement, more sea life populated these boundaries. Pascal chirped, noting the same thing. She smiled, watching as a few dolphins splashed across a few yards away from them. 

"You're right, Pascal, it's gorgeous." she agreed. She turned to look at the small cliff side behind her, where beautiful greenery overgrew. "The whole island is." 

Pascal nodded in agreement. 

Then, suddenly, a strange sound caught both of their ears. It sounded like muffled bells, echoing from somewhere in the jungle. She frowned in curiosity, staring towards where the sound was coming from. "Do you hear that?" she asked her green friend. Pascal nodded, and the two made their way back into the jungle. They ended up walking down a path in between two large cliffs, creating an eerie shadow that covered them. 

When they made it to a dead end, Rapunzel looked around, confused when she couldn't hear the sound anymore. 

It wasn't long before the muffled bells came again, and her eyes were drawn down to a glowing-green totem covered in moss and shrubbery. As if noticing that she saw it, it stopped, and she picked it up in her hands. 

It was a totem about the size of her head, though felt light and hallow on the inside. It was made of smooth wood, with strange carvings of angry faces going down it, with other, smaller designs along the bottom edge. It wasn't quite something she'd expect to have found here, and that only helped to peak her curiosity further.

"What is this?" she wondered aloud, turning it in her hands. Suddenly, the faces started glowing again, making Pascal gasp in surprise. But Rapunzel didn't feel as surprised as she should in that moment; oddly, the glow was quite memorizing to look at. It gave her a strange feeling in her head and chest, though it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Actually, she found it be quite calming. 

But all of that instantly left her when a very, _very_ familiar voice spoke behind her. It was like everything froze when she heard the voice; from head to toe, completely still in shock. 

"Rapunzel..." 

He-He couldn't be here, right? It...It wasn't possible! 

She span around, eyes widening when she found herself to be wrong. He was here, standing right in front of her.

"V-Varian?"

The boy, to her even higher shock, smiled. He smiled, unlike how he did in the lab that night when he'd kidnapped her mom. He smiled unlike how he did when he'd revealed how he'd tricked her into committing treason. It wasn't a I-hate-you-and-want-you-to-burn kind of smile. No, it was genuine. It was a genuine, kind, bucktoothed smile; one Rapunzel hadn't seen in almost a whole year. 

She had no idea how to react. 

Should she be scared? Yes.

Was she? She didn't really know. 

Should she be filled with anger and hatred towards him?

Yes.

Was she?

.....No. 

Why?

She swallowed hard, taking a second to take in....well, _him._ He was dressed in his usual attire; baggy beige pants, faded blue shirt, black leather boots, and an apron over his front. His skin was its usual pale and freckled self, though it somehow seemed _brighter---_ if that was even possible. His head was covered with his usual messy black hair, with the strange blue stripe in his bangs, and his pair of goggles sitting on top of it. And his face...she could almost actually smile upon seeing it---it was so much brighter and colored. It wasn't like the angry, hurt and evil kid she'd last seen being pulled into a prison cart six months ago. It didn't wear a hateful sneer, or a cruel smirk. His eyes didn't evil show any negative emotion, either. 

It was the complete opposite. His mouth was twisted in a big, toothy grin, full of the joy and innocence he should've always had. His eyes were full of anything but hatred and hurt---they were filled with happiness. It was as if she were standing with the same Varian from a year ago, when she and Cass had gone to him for help on her hair. Full of so much life. Something, that until last night she didn't realize, she missed. Was this real?

"H-How did you...what are you...how..."

She couldn't form the right words to express her surprised, though it seemed the teen got to picture. He snickered, making Rapunzel slightly uneasy. But she didn't say anything, still too stunned to. How did he get here?

"It's kind of a long explanation." the young teen chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But the short version of it is that as long as that..." he pointed to the small statue in Rapunzel's hand. "...is in your hands, I'll be here with you. The _real_ not-a-psycho-path me." 

Rapunzel took a second to process the words, looking back down at the idol. "Wait...so you're not really here?" she frowned. Varian chuckled. "Technically, I am here, so long as you hold the idol." 

Rapunzel couldn't take her eyes off him. Everything he was saying confused her, though she couldn't help but feel a sense of---was it comfort?---knowing he was right there. Maybe this was her chance to talk things out. Maybe she could fix things. 

"Varian..."

He cut her off. "I know what you're gonna say, but before you do, I want to say something first. Rapunzel, I'm sorry for everything I've done. I'm sorry that I acted out irrationally, and did all those things to you and your family. I don't know if the words will truly make up for everything I did, but just know that there are true feelings to them."

Rapunzel felt a tear slip down her cheek. Was this real? It had to be, right? He just apologized, and it sounded so...so real. This couldn't be fake. 

"I forgive you, Varian." she almost whispered, a small smile coming to her face. "And I'm so sorry for abandoning you, and for not keeping my promise. Even after the snowstorm, I didn't go to check on you, or to see if you were okay. And I'm so sorry for it. For everything." 

Varian smiled wider, giving the princess a warm feeling inside. 

"I forgive you, Rapunzel." 

And that's what broke the barrier. Rapunzel couldn't help but run over and pull the boy into a tight hug, ignoring Pascal's confused chirps. Varian hugged back, hiding his head in her shoulder. And suddenly, Rapunzel realized that Varian had to bend over slightly to do so, which made her realize he was almost the same height as her now. She pulled away, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "You've gotten so tall!" 

Varian snorted. "Heh, I guess that's what happens when you actually sleep and eat." 

Rapunzel giggled at that. "So..." she slurred, looking back at the idol in her hands. "What...what now?" 

Varian smiled, grabbing the hand and holding it in his. "Now, we can make up for lost time. Just remember to keep this in your hand to see me, okay?" 

She nodded. "How about we go see the others! I bet they-" she stopped upon seeing Varian frown. "What is it?" 

The teen bit his lip. "Well, I don't really think they'd be all that happy to see me, that's all. How about we go exploring, instead? It was one of my favorite things to do when me and dad went out to the trading villages outside Corona." 

Rapunzel smiled widely. "I love exploring too! Let's go!" she grabbed his hand, leading him out of the crevice between the cliffs. Pascal hopped off her shoulder, though she didn't notice. The chameleon watched as his friend ran away, frowning deeply. He didn't know what happened, but he knew the idol had made her see something. If he had to guess, it was most likely Varian, since she kept saying his name a few times. And if that is who she saw and 'talked' with, then she was in big trouble. 

He quickly ran back to the beach, turning the other way from where Rapunzel and "Varian" had gone. 

If she was in trouble, then he needed to get help. 


End file.
